Glenn Fernandez

The Turnbull Government’s Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) has started sending threatening letters to people seeking asylum in our community.

These letters risk forcing people to lodge their asylum claims without getting the legal advice they need to have the best chance of being able to rebuild their lives in peace with their families in our community.

We need the Turnbull Government to stop sending these threatening letters.

We need to give people a fair chance, with fair timelines and appropriate legal support, to make the most important application of their lives.

That’s why we’re asking you to sign this letter to Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, calling on him to stop sending the threatening letters and ensure a fair process for people seeking asylum.

The reminder letters being sent to people seeking asylum by your Government are creating unnecessary fear and confusion in the community.

The asylum application process is complex and difficult to negotiate without proper access to legal advice which can make the difference between being successful or having a person's application refused. The letters being sent to people in the community threaten to deny vulnerable people the right to claim asylum, to not renew bridging visas and to cancel support payments.

The letters your Government is sending force people to choose between lodging their asylum claims without legal advice or risk losing their access to support payments or even the right to ever seek asylum in Australia. It is an unjustifiably harsh approach. Give people a fair chance, with reasonable timelines, and appropriate legal support to make the most important application of their lives.

People seeking asylum who want to rebuild their lives with their families in our community deserve to have their claims assessed fairly, with the support of lawyers who can help negotiate the complex process the Department of Immigration and Border Protection oversees. This issue shows that we need an asylum process that treats people with and respect and which offers them an opportunity to rebuild their lives in peace in our community.

A process that treats all people fairly and with respect should:

- Be clear, efficient and transparent.- Be the same for all people regardless of their date or means of arrival.- Have a timeframe that allows for proper advice, access to legal help and to fully prepare applications.- Restore funding for legal assistance- Ensure decisions about asylum are subject to proper review processes and the rule of law- Provide permanent residence for people once they have been found to be refugees.

Our community wants fair treatment for people seeking asylum.

Please act now. Stop sending these letters.

Provide people seeking asylum with reasonable timelines and allow them to access the legal support they need.

Give people a chance of having their asylum claims assessed fairly.

The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) recognises the importance of protecting the privacy and the rights of individuals in relation to their personal or sensitive information. Our privacy policy and full collection statement is available online at asrc.org.au/privacy